Ricky Gervais

A cutting renaissance man responsible for The Office, Extras, and many other hilarious properties, Ricky Gervais is a writer, actor, producer, standup comedian, and even a synth pop musician. Born in Reading, England, Gervais worked in the music industry as a radio DJ, band manager, and music supervisor before forming the synth pop group Seona Dancing with Bill McCrae. The group had a minor hit in 1983 with the club-worthy "Bitter Heart," and after breaking up, Gervais remained in the music industry and went on to manage Suede and DJ on London's XFM. As an actor and writer, he joined Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1999, then, in 2000, he landed his own show called Meet Ricky Gervais. With Stephen Merchant as co-creator, Gervais launched the successful sitcom The Office in 2001, followed by other series like Extras, Life's Too Short, and a U.S. version of The Office which, at nine seasons, outlasted the U.K. original. Gervais' standup career took off parallel with his success in television; the comedian has toured the globe with shows titled Animals (2001), Politics (2002), Fame (2007), and Science (2009). The Science show was released in 2014 by the Universal label as Ricky Gervais Live, Vol. 4: Science. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi